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NITED STATES Irrica.

ATENT l GATE.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,601, dated Mey 8,1888.

4Application filed December 13, 1887. Serial No. 257,747. (No model.)

The invention which is the subject of the foregoing petition is mainly.an improvement in the opening and closingmechanism foragate. The objectsought is primarily to provide means whereby the gate may be opened byper- Asons riding or driving without the trouble of dismounting oralighting either to open or close the gate. I am aware thatmany deviceshave been heretofore devised for this general purpose, and I presentonly an improved form of devices, but a form or construction of a verysimple character, and one which is at the same time inexpensive,durable, and effective. Included with vthe devices'for throwing the gateopen or closing it are also automatic latching devices and handunlatching devices.'

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view ofthe improved gate and its attachments. Y Fig. 2 shows a plan view of aportion of the gate, and Fig. 3 aview of the catch.

The gate A is shown as composed of a rectangular wooden frame, a a b cd, with pickets c, of rod Qor wire, and stay-wires interwoven therewith;but any form of gate may be used in connection with 'my invention. Themain supporting-post B has eyebolts gand h, one or both of which may beadjustable in or out by means of a nut, It. In the eyes of these bolts ashaft, D, is placed to turn freely, but inclined from the post. On itslower end is an arm, Z, having an upturned pivot, 1, on which the gateis pivoted below near the extreme end of the bottom rail. To the upperend of the shaft D is fixed a straight arm, m, longer than the arm Z,'and having a pivot, 2, in its outer end to engage with the gate, whichis pivoted thereto at a little ydistance from the end of the upper rail.The pin 2 is made removable so that the gate may be easily set up ortaken down. On the upper end of the shaft D is a pulley, n, and on thelower a disk, o. The upper or pulley disk is adapted to receive a rope,p, by means of which it may be manipulated.

It will be observed that the devices above describedswing the gate ineither direction by simply shifting the pivotal points and withdrawingthe free end of the gate from the latch. The gate then swings by gravityto open.

In Fig. l the shaft D is'shown as 'partially turned, and it will be seenthat the movement given the arm m causes the free endof the gate t0 beraised from the positionshown-by dotted line a: x. l

It is always desirable to open thegate away from the rider or driver toavoid startling the horses, and this is provided forin my improved gate.The rod may be moved by a cord around the pulley lnon the upper end ofthe pivotingrod. One end of the cord runs over a sheaye in onedirection,and the other over another sheave in the opposite direction, and bypu1ling either, the gate is swung in an opposite direction.'Aftreadle-lever, L, with rod q, may

be used on each side, (only one being shown,) the rods hooking into thelower disk.

To allow the gate to swing either way, it must pass the post Q, and adouble catch is therefore provided. This consists of two roundedcam-shaped catches, R, pivoted in a plate, with weighted lower ends. Theouter rounded face on the upper side ofeach is pushed down, when'thelatch rides over it; but the latch strikes against the vertical face ofthe other and the depressed catch again rises and fastens the gate. Forthis a latch, S, is required, moving horizontally only in a guide. It isdraw/n back by a lever, s, and pushed forward by a spring, t, and may beoperated by a A rider.

The lever L is of ordinary construction, and is connected with the shaftD as follows: The lower disk on the shaft has holes, nearly onefourth ofthe circumference from each other, and into these the ends of thelever-rods q are hooked, as at 4. It will be observed that these holes 4are a littleto one side of the dead-center, so that the rod moves thedisk from 4 to 5 about one-fourth of the circumference. The other rod onthe opposite side, workingin the same way, turns the disk to carry thepoint 4 to 6 on the back side. Instead of setting the holes a littleoft' the dead-center', they may be slotted, as shown in Fig. 2.

A very important feature in this gate is the inclination of the shaft Dand the longer and IOO shorter arms of the shaft on which the gate ispivoted. This givesa constant rise in the outer end of the gate as thegate swings open, and it is the same whichever way the gate swings. Thegate may be made to rise more or less by lengthening or shortening thelower arm, and for this purpose the lower arm may be screwed into theshaft or connected in any suitable way, by means of which it may belengthened or shortened. By this construction the gate may be made toswing clear of snow or other obstructions on the roadside.

I am aware that it is not new to furnish a gate with an inclined shaftprovided with means for turning the shaft to open the gate, and I do notbroadly claim this.

I claim as my invention- The gate, combined with the inclined shaft D,having armi and pivot 1 on the lower end and longer straight arm on theupper end, the lower pivot being near and the upper pivot farther fromthe end of the gate, a disk on the M'ILLARD F. FINK.

Witnesses:

CHAs. L. STURTEVANT, ROBERT E. MoRRIs.

